I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!
đ Ever watched a local production or a regional commercial and thought, "Hey, I know that person!"?
Welcome to I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In, the podcast that goes behind the scenes of the acting world in the Northeast. Join host Stephen Lomer as he sits down with talented New England-based actors to pull back the curtain on what itâs really like to build a career in the industry.
From regional theater and indie films to major sets, we explore the unique journeys of local talent. Whether you're a fan of the craft or an aspiring performer looking for a roadmap, this is your front-row seat to the reality of the acting life.
Episodes

Jul 30, 2026
Jul 30, 2026
47 min
đĽ Actor, Musician, and Noises Off Avoider: Justin Demers on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!
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This episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In dives deep into the art of stagecraft, vocal discipline, and the delicate balance between high-level performance and creative burnout! Host Stephen Lomer sits down with multi-talented New England actor and gigging musician Justin Demers.
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đ The Musician vs. Actor Identity Crisis
Stephen challenges Justin on how he defines his creative identity. While his social media simple tags him as a musician and singer-songwriter, Justin explains how balancing theater contracts with gigging prevents his "creative muscles" from going stale. He opens up about keeping performance as an intense passion rather than a soul-crushing corporate job, maintaining a day job specifically so he can protect his love for the arts.
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đ The Great Noises Off Betrayal
In a hilariously tense segment, Justin confronts Stephen over a broken promise. After assigning Stephen one specific piece of pre-podcast homeworkâwatching the classic comedy Noises OffâJustin discovers Stephen aggressively failed to complete the assignment. The two engage in a hilarious back-and-forth negotiation, complete with Letterboxd plugs and a strict end-of-summer deadline to save their friendship.
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đ From Audition to Curtain Call: The Stage Masterclass
Justin provides an exhaustive, step-by-step masterclass for anyone curious about the mechanics of professional theater:
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đ The Post-Pandemic Audition
How virtual self-tapes transformed the stage casting process, saving actors from awkward group auditions in front of entire rooms of competitors.
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đ The Sprint of Tech Week
Navigating dry tech, wet tech, costume fittings, and the intense time constraints of learning full, two-act musical choreographies in as little as eight days.
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đ On-Stage Intimacy & Over-Communication
Justin highlights the necessity of over-communicating and strict choreography when handling intimate scenes on stage to ensure absolute safety and comfort for all partners.
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đ The Frozen Show
Why actors owe it to the audience to keep a show "frozen" once it opens, avoiding ego-driven improvised changes while still letting the emotional depth of the character naturally grow denser over a 10-week run.
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đ The High School "Booze-ical" Scandal
Justin shares a wild behind-the-scenes story from his junior year at Bates College. He details the infamous tradition of "The Dirty Show"âa secret, one-night-only, sold-out late-night parody performance where the cast completely rewrote family-friendly shows into filthy, unhinged comedies. Justin recalls taking a heavy drag of a joint in the wings right before stepping on stage for High School Musical, immediately realizing he was completely incoherent, and improvising his way through a sold-out theater with zero memory of the script.
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đ Justin's Essential Advice for Actors
"Don't try to fit the exact mold you think a casting director wants. Don't steal pieces of other people's performancesâit comes off as hollow and phony. People have incredible bullshit meters. Bring a version of yourself that is rooted in real life and real truth. Even if you get rejected, you'll know you presented something authentic rather than a lie."
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đ Where to See Justin Next
Catch Justin on stage at the Prescott Park Arts Festival, starring as the Prince in their summer production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella!
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Jul 23, 2026
Jul 23, 2026
44 min
In this episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You, host Stephen Lomer uncovers a journey that spans decades and continents, tracking a child performer who knew her calling at five years old, pivoted through a corporate detour in the United States, and returned to the craft with immense power. From navigating the film festival circuit alongside her creative partner KJ Traynor to high-stakes red carpets and a legendary, star-struck encounter with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kasia proves that when it comes to raw ambition, there are absolutely no limits.
Inside This Episode:
đ The Five-Year-Old Visionary & The LA Detour
A Kindergarten Calling: Kasia recalls the exact, vivid memory of standing up in her kindergarten class at age five to confidently announce she was going to be an actressâa calling she backed up by staging childhood plays and demanding her cousins build makeshift theater sets.
đ The Monster Management Meeting: Kasia drops a fascinating "what if" story from 2005. At age 23, she put herself on a plane to Los Angeles, marched directly to the doorstep of an acting manager she met in New York City, and secured an open invitation to join her office. Kasia opens up about the fear, heavy accent barriers, and a lack of a regional support system that ultimately led her to choose a stable, corporate life over the immediate Hollywood grind.
đ The Rock Taps a Shoulder: A Gillette Stadium Legend
In one of the most charming stories told on the podcast, Kasia takes us back to her early days as a background extra filling the stadium seats for Disney's The Game Plan at Gillette Stadium. Despite explicit Assistant Director rules ordering extras to stay far away from the principal cast, Kasia gracefully lobbied an AD for a single moment to meet her ultimate idol. The result? Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson personally waving her over, greeting her warmly, kissing her on the cheek, and posing for an unforgettable (and tragically lost) digital photo.
đ The Power of the Accent & Audition Mindsets
Kasia flips the script on the standard actor's insecurity regarding accents and cold reads. Instead of looking at English as a barrier, she embraces her native phrasing as a unique signature that brings specific, truthful roles directly to her. She treats self-tapes as an immediate daily playground to live as a new character, rather than a system of empty rejections.
đ Advice for Aspiring Actors:"Be your own best fan. Be incredibly kind to yourself and do not self-sabotage, because this industry will knock you down many times. Don't look for outside validation or wait for other people to tell you that you are good at itâjust feel the spark, trust your performance, and send the tape."
đ What's Coming Next:
Kasia announces a major creative milestone: she and KJ Traynor officially completed the first draft last night for a brand-new feature-length family dramedy slated for production at the end of the summer. Additionally, Kasia details a high-stakes weekend self-tape audition for a major Netflix series requiring fluent, non-faked Polish dialogue.
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Jul 16, 2026
Jul 16, 2026
1 hr 6 min
đŹ Whiskey, Cocaine Legends & Production PTSD | Alyssa Botelho on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!
Inside This Episode:đ The "Trophy Chaser" Origins & Overachiever BluesStephen kicks off the show by playfully confronting Alyssa with her glistening academic and festival record. Alyssa opens up about growing up in a hardworking, blue-collar family outside the film industry, admitting that in her early 20s she became a relentless "trophy chaser" to visually prove she belonged on the same sets as filmmakers from generational Hollywood wealth.
đ Whiskey Shots, Gingerbread, and the Azores FulbrightAs the interview completely devolves into a live party, Stephen and Alyssa match drinks, transitioning from cough-syrup-flavored blackberry brandy to a highly praised gingerbread formulation. Alyssa details her recent eight-month stint living in San Miguel, Azores, on a Fulbright grant to write her World War I historical feature script, The Last Frontier. She shares the striking history of the Portuguese islands (often called the "10th Island" of New England) and hilariously digresses into a local legend about a massive early-2000s shoreline cocaine wash-up that had local grandmothers unknowingly seasoning fish with narcotics.
đ The "Every December" Acting EpiphanyAlyssa drops an exclusive studio revelation: despite establishing her professional career behind the camera as a powerhouse director, she harbors a deep, unyielding passion for screen acting. She confesses to a bizarre, five-year running psychological cycle where every single December, like clockwork, she has a massive artistic epiphany prompting her to drop everything and act full-timeâonly to get swept right back into logistical production work by January. Stephen happily charges her a hypothetical $500 therapy fee to prescribe a massive push for her next winter cycle.
đ Production PTSD: The Medium vs. Small Coffee IncidentWhen asked for an embarrassing behind-the-scenes story from her early days as a production assistant in Providence, Alyssa details the sheer, soul-crushing anxiety of the PA grind. Eager to please a high-profile producer, Alyssa accidentally brought back a medium specialty iced coffee instead of a small. She describes the utter terror of watching the producer stare at the cup like it had green bubbles coming out of it, sending Alyssa into a spiral where she was entirely convinced she was going to be fired on the spot.
đ Alyssa's Masterclass Advice for Filmmakers"Cross-train and learn the other craft. If you are an actor, learn what it takes to actually write a script and see how a director blocks a scene. If you are a director, force yourself into a vulnerable position and take an acting class. Stepping into each other's shoes is the absolute only way to build long-term empathy and make yourself a better storyteller."
đRacking Up the Grants & What's Next:Alyssa outlines a beautifully ambitious slate of upcoming historical and genre projects.
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â #AlyssaBotelhoâ â #StephenLomerâ â #FulbrightFellowshipâ â #TheLastFrontierâ â #SweetFreedomâ â #IndieDirectorâ â #WomenInFilmâ â #BostonCastingâ â #NewEnglandActorsâ â #RhodeIslandFilmâ â #ProductionAssistantâ â #ScreenwritingTipsâ â #Hereditaryâ â #TheGooniesâ â #ParodyNewsNetworkâ â #ISawYouInThatThingISawYouInâ Transcript

Jul 9, 2026
Jul 9, 2026
47 min
đŹ Award-Winning Independent Screenwriter, Director, and Producer Rachel Thomas-Medwin | I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!
Host Stephen Lomer sits down with the podcast's very first primarily behind-the-camera guest! For the internet trolls tracking the show's actor-only criteria, Rachel completely qualifies â having met Stephen's strict rule by getting her face brutally pulverized on screen in Face Crusher Legends and appearing in the film Ambition. In this deeply engaging conversation, Rachel pulls back the curtain on transitioning from an introverted English major to an accomplished auteur dominating the indie horror and psychological thriller festival circuits.
Inside This Episode
From Short Stories to Formatting Freedom Rachel tracks her artistic evolution from writing complex prose in college to picking up a book on screenwriting structure.
The LA Meeting That Changed Everything
After her first feature script won a major screenwriting contest, Rachel naively thought Hollywood would automatically step in to produce it. Later, a New York company optioned a script for a table read, but a blunt piece of advice from a film programmer in Los Angeles completely altered her trajectory.
The Low-Budget Production Masterclass
Rachel gives a comprehensive breakdown of bringing a film from early concept to the cinema screen.
Dances with Films & The Festival Circuit Strategy
Stephen and Rachel discuss the strategic reality of marketing a completed film. Rachel reveals that her short film Dissection Day was officially accepted into the prestigious Dances with Films festival in Los Angelesâa massive feat considering the festival pulls in over 6,000 global submissions.
The Introverted Director & Q&A Anxiety
In a highly relatable segment, Stephen and Rachel bond over a surprising shared trait: they are both deeply introverted creatives. Rachel opens up about the exhaustion of forcing herself into the spotlight for podcast appearances, directing large sets of eccentric personalities, and conquering the paralyzing fear of public Q&A panels where unexpected questions trigger a literal fight-or-flight response.
Sneak Peek at What's Next
Rachel shares a teaser for her upcoming short film, Sever, a haunting New England gothic horror project. The story follows a pregnant woman escaping an abusive relationship who hides out inside her grandmother's antique farmhouse, only to find herself slowly ensnared by a dark, surreal childhood fairy tale inspired by The Red Shoes.
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Jul 2, 2026
Jul 2, 2026
40 min
đŹ Standing In, Bright Skirts, and Being a Mail-Order Bride | Katya Zykina on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!
Katya is a Russian-born actress, musician, union activist, and premier industry stand-in. Moving to the United States eight years ago, she has built an incredible reputation as the ultimate "secret weapon" on massive television sets. From growing up watching Soviet cinema classics to navigating high-stakes stunt days and enduring painful behind-the-scenes wardrobe hazards, Katya brings an incredibly authentic, joyful, and hard-working energy to the studio.
Inside This Episode: đThe Mechanics of the Stand-In & Photo Double Katya breaks down her true "bread and butter" role in the industry. As the number-one stand-in for Hollywood star Lauren Cohan on the hit television series The Walking Dead: Dead City, Katya explains the immense physical discipline and focus required to track blocking, lighting alignments, and camera angles for 12-hour days. She reveals how embedded she has become across multiple production departments over two intense seasons.
đAn Over-the-Phone SAG Invitation Katya tells the surreal story of how she randomly achieved SAG-AFTRA eligibility. After a casting director called her out of the blue to fill a last-minute five-night overnight shift as a wedding waiter, she found herself on the Boston set of About Fate (2022). In an incredible twist of destiny, the romantic comedy was directed by Marius Weisberg as a Hollywood remake of The Irony of Fateâthe ultimate iconic Soviet movie that Katya's family watched every single New Year's Eve back in Russia!
đThe Anti-Human Horror Dream While Katya loves exploring high-stakes comedy (and recently knocked her scene out of the park as a mail-order bride in a Boston 48-Hour Film Project short), she reveals her deep-seated, ultimate cinematic dream. Inspired by actors with unmatched chameleonic ranges like Ralph Fiennes and Willem Dafoe, Katya drops a passionate plea to casting directors: she wants to be cast behind heavy prosthetics as a completely non-human, terrifyingly evil creature, alien, or ghost in a major horror feature.
The M. Night Shyamalan Skirt Sabotage In one of the most painful yet hilarious set stories ever told on the podcast, Katya recounts working as a background artist on a recent, high-profile M. Night Shyamalan film production. Right before a crew member shouted "background action," a wasp flew directly into the hidden folds of her heavily layered, colorful summer skirt. Forced to remain entirely in character, Katya spent the entire take smiling and blowing bubbles on camera while being repeatedly stung on her leg and belly!
The Boston vs. Los Angeles Conundrum Katya weighs the classic regional actor's dilemma. While her absolute hatred for freezing New England winters draws her toward the sunny climates of Los Angeles, she reveals the logistical advantage of staying in the Massachusetts ecosystem. As Katya notes: "If somebody needs a Russian actor here in Boston, I'm on speed dial. In LA, there are thousands of us."
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Jun 25, 2026
Jun 25, 2026
46 min
đŹ Exeter City Hall & The Early Late Night Live Days | Kate Eppers on I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In!
Stephen and Kate take a nostalgic trip down memory lane to decipher the exact origin story of their friendship. They track it back to their collaborative days on The Early Late Night Live Show â a public access staple hosted by Terry Trainor and co-hosted by KJ Traynor and Mitch Fortier. Stephen breaks down his memories of a hilarious Exeter City Hall filming mix-up, rocking matching sunglasses with his Typo Squad co-star Christa, and Kate recalls once successfully executing a solo "takeover" of the entire talk show.
đ The Ig Nobel Awards: Scientific Comedy at Harvard
In a fascinating look at her childhood, Kate shares what it was like growing up with her uncle, Marc Abrahams, the founder and master of ceremonies of the world-famous Ig Nobel Prize Awards.
đ Unlocking Potipharâs Wife & The Music DreamKate maps out her journey through school chorus lines and regional musical theater, admitting to a 20-year-old "grudge" over being passed over for a prime role in high school. She shares the ultimate artistic redemption of finally being cast as Potipharâs Wife in a mid-20s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with the Neverland Theatre in Danvers.
đ Christmasforce: Symphonic Power Metal Holiday Cover Bands
Alongside her fiancĂŠ Brian Murphy (of the band One Time Mountain), Kate pulls back the curtain on their epic holiday project: Christmasforce. Inspired by the high-octane symphonic metal of bands like DragonForce, the duo successfully arranged and recorded an entire heavy metal cover of the classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer soundtrack, featuring guest rock star vocalists from Germany!
đ IMDb Known-Fors & Pageant Reality Check
Stephen plays a round of IMDb roulette to see if Kate's algorithmic "Known For" listings hold up.
đ Apocalypse Party: A peaceful, existential short film by Smoking Bottle Entertainment where Kate's character literally just sits and eats chocolate cookies while a comet approaches Earth.
đ Amber Oak: Writing and recording the official '80s-inspired sci-fi theme song, "Within My Reach," for creator Ceara Comeau.
đ Groundhog: A cold, chaotic, winter-themed horror movie that served as her very first extra gig.
đ Tapdancing on a Landmine: Heritage, Identity, and Safety
In a deeply candid and serious segment, Stephen asks Kate about navigating her public identity as a proud Ashkenazi Jew. Kate opens up about the complex realities of facing intense online anti-Semitism and scary messages on Facebook simply for sharing personal trip photos or celebrating her heritage. She breaks down the nuances of ethno-religions, her family's roots from Iran to Israel, and why she ultimately chose to pull back from being overly vocal online purely for the safety of her children.
đ What's Next
Kate details her exciting return to the King Serpent Variety Troop with David Breen, teasing upcoming dinner theater residencies at the Pearl Street Station in Malden and regional PorchFests across the North Shore.
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Jun 18, 2026
Jun 18, 2026
29 min
This episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In is an absolute masterclass in artistic freedom, breaking stereotypes, and rejecting the labels the industry tries to slap on you. Host Stephen Lomer sits down with a multi-talented force in the New England creative scene: Brennan Fromm.
Brennan is fresh off a massive milestone as the 2025 Boston Fashion Awards Top Male Model, but as Stephen uncovers, he is far more than just a sharp look on a runway. With an extensive background in classical piano, theater, commercial print, and television, Brennan brings a raw, unfiltered, and deeply philosophical energy to the studio.
Inside This Episode: đ Backstage Surprises & The 2025 Boston Fashion Awards Brennan shares the hilarious, fast-paced reality of the night he was named Boston's top male model. Juggling rapid wardrobe changes for multiple designers, he didn't even hear his name announcedâlearning he won only when a chaotic crew member shouted the news at him backstage.
đ The Mechanics of Hollywood Sets: Chaos vs. Order The Perfect Couple
Brennan reflects on his time doing background work on the hit series. Filmed in Massachusetts right before the 2023 industry strikes, he breaks down the "organized chaos" of navigating a massive crowd of extras on a high-profile set.
đ The Gilded Age
By contrast, Brennan praises the seamless, ultra-professional production design and coordination of the HBO period drama, noting it as one of his absolute favorite set experiences.
đ The Hasbro Super Hero Suite: Spider-Man, Hulk, and Cyclops
Brennan talks about the surreal experience of being hired by toy giant Hasbro for major Marvel campaigns. He pulls back the curtain on crawling across fake brick layouts in a sweltering, high-tech Spider-Man: Homecoming mask with blinking eyesâan experience that led to his friends mercilessly teasing him at local clubs. Stephen uncovers that Brennan also modeled the packaging boxes for The Incredible Hulk and X-Menâs Cyclops.
đ IMDb Roulette: The "Child Actor" Files
Stephen plays a round of IMDb roulette, unearthing bizarre, un-updated project listings that leave Brennan scratching his head:
You Are Here (2017): A project filmed inside a depressing, near-abandoned upstate New York mall.
Tales to Line the Coffin: A dramatic childhood role where Brennan played the son of a lawyer and had to physically pee his pants on camera during an intense family screaming match.
Pre-Production Paradoxes: The confusion of being "known for" unreleased indie features like Terror Don't Sleep and Elliot the Iron Mask.
đ Advice for Aspiring Performers: "Dream big. Always dream big. You are authentic in yourself as it is. Do not change yourself or adjust for other people's standards. Don't dim your light, no matter what a director or producer says. At the end of the day, acting isn't even about usâit's about bringing another human being's story to life naturally."
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Jun 11, 2026
Jun 11, 2026
58 min
đŹ The Epic Noises Off Breakdown | Sonya Richards Interview
Stephen is completely unhinged this week as he dives headfirst into his favorite play for the second week in a row. Sonya breaks down what it was like playing Belinda in a 2018 Sturbridge, Massachusetts community theater production with an intimate, 100-seat house. She pulls back the curtain on a custom-built, highly questionable spinning stage on wheels that nearly took out the cast, leading to a frantic, mid-show safety fix that the audience thought was just part of the farce!
Inside This Episode:
đ Why Acting? The ABBA & Pirates Connection Sonya opens up about masking her childhood ADHD by being a quiet, straight-A student in public while letting her weird, creative side loose at home mimicking Disney movies. She shares the hilarious elementary school "Lip Sync" drama that ended with her successfully casting, directing, and choreographing her sixth-grade class into a performance of ABBA's Waterloo. Later, watching the behind-the-scenes DVD features of Pirates of the Caribbean and obsessing over Orlando Bloom lit the permanent flame to pursue acting as a real-world career.
đ IMDb Known-Fors & Hollywood Set Secrets The Dexter Call: Sonya drops the ultimate background acting story. While working a quick shift on the indie film Shooting Jeremy, her phone exploded with missed calls from Boston Casting. She booked a 5-day hotel-stay gig as a diner waitress on the Massachusetts set of Dexter: New Blood, complete with brutal, crack-of-dawn COVID testing lines.
đ The Secret Resumes Sonya lets it slip that she was also an extra in major sequels like Good Burger 2 (filmed at the same Rhode Island roller rink as her RISD senior thesis film, Avery) and Hocus Pocus 2!
đ Drowned Sonya gets real about the massive confidence boost of booking her first feature film lead role as Sarah in the Fall River-based indie drama Drowned, a character struggling with unmanaged adult ADHD that deeply resonated with her personal life.
đ The Famous "Bye Cake" Blunder In perhaps the funniest live-stage blunder ever told on the podcast, Sonya describes playing Corey in Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. During a sold-out, high-drama performance, she went to storm off a platform into the kitchen to eat a plate of chocolate cake in angry silenceâonly to trip, watch the cake fly through the air in slow motion, splat flat onto the stage, and accidentally blurt out: "Bye cake!" to a roaring audience.
Connect with Sonya Richards Instagram: www.instagram.com/exit22wingsr
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Jun 4, 2026
Jun 4, 2026
47 min
đŹ Orson Welles-ing Independent Film: Gwenn Hope on Directing/Starring in "Daydream"
In this high-energy and deeply inspiring episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In, host Stephen Lomer sits down with actor, writer, director, producer, and photographer Gwenn Hope.
Fresh off a 4:00 AM shot-blocking meeting on the beach with her Director of Photography, Gwenn is exactly one week away from principal photography on her highly anticipated debut feature film, Daydream. After her proof-of-concept short racked up festival laurels at LA Shorts and Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival, Gwenn returned to her New England roots to build a fully woman-led, community-driven production from the ground up.
Inside This Episode:
đ The Blueprint of Daydream: Gwenn hits us with the logline of her nostalgic, East Coast coming-of-age drama about friendship, the beauty of grief, and a devastating narrative dilemma.
đ The Reality of the Indie Grind: The exhausting business side of narrative filmmakingâfrom crowdfunding and establishing an LLC to navigating private investors, tax credits, and the power of pivoting.
đ Building a Woman-Led Set: Why intentionality matters when hiring department heads. Gwenn shares her experience crafting a safe, intimidation-free space where crew members can learn, ask questions, and collaborate outside their zones.
đ The UCLA to LA Actor Pipeline: Gwenn opens up about studying acting at UCLA, navigating the industry post-COVID during the Hollywood writers' strike, and why she turned to filmmaking to bypass the classic gatekeeper catch-22 of "needing credits to get submitted."
đ The "Disney Belle Signature" Mystery: Stephen uncovers a hilarious, deeply buried item in Gwenn's special skills section that involves theme park authenticity and high school prep.
đ How to Direct Yourself: Practical advice on flipping the internal switch between vulnerable actor and objective director, and why it all boils down to supreme trust in your team.
đ The Vision for the Hope Theater: A beautifully fully fleshed-out dream to fight theater closures by launching an independent single-screen cinema and community arts hub in her hometown.
đ Proving the Doubters Wrong: How facing "Plan B" skepticism fueled a relentless work ethic designed to avoid ever looking back with regret.
Support the Project & Connect
đŹ Learn More & Support: Visit daydream-film.org to follow the production journey, check out the cast (including a special appearance by Chantelle Brizzee!), and back this phenomenal regional film!
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May 28, 2026
May 28, 2026
43 min
đŹ The British Accent Challenge & Noises Off Obsession | Vivian Marie Wholey Interview
In this incredibly fun (and unusually polite) episode of I Saw You In That Thing I Saw You In, host Stephen Lomer accepts a high-stakes challenge from Endicott College alumna Vivian Marie Wholey: the entire interview must be conducted in British accents.
Vivian is a decorated theater actress, an Endicott Dean's List regular, an art honor society inductee, and a self-proclaimed hopeless romantic who writes her own screenplays. In this episode, she breaks down her absolute obsession with the farce masterpiece Noises Off, the reality of being a "big fish in a small pond" on Boston's North Shore, and how a late-night shot of whiskey completely unlocked her inner Leo.
Inside This Episode:
đ The Noises Off Redemption: Vivianâs journey playing Poppy in college after missing out on the show in high school, and her upcoming plans to tackle the show again at Acme Theatre in Weston.
đ Why Farce and Farce-Adjacent Plays Matter: A deep dive into the absolute chaos of Noises Off and Rick Abbott's Play On, from moving props to onstage intimacy.
đ The High School Lightbulb Moment: How starring in Molière's Tartuffe as a sophomore completely skyrocketed Vivian's confidence and emotional maturity
đ The Danger of the Cover Letter: Why "young, naive Vivian" regretted writing that she would radically change her physical appearance for a role, and why boundary-setting matters.
đ High Rollers & Shattered Rearview Mirrors: A hilarious behind-the-scenes look at the Keene State thesis film where she co-starred with past podcast guest Kayla Garibedian.
đ The Industry Age Dilemma: How a 24-year-old actress navigates auditioning for both a 14-year-old girl and an 8-year-old's mother on the exact same day.
đ The Infamous PNN Downton Abbey Disaster: Stephen shares a hilarious cautionary tale about past accent mishaps on the Parody News Network.
Connect with Vivian Marie Wholey
Website: vivianmariewholeyactress.com
Instagram: instagram.com/vivmwholey
TikTok: tiktok.com/@wh0leycowitsviv
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